This dynamo of dystopian YA, the first in the Dark Matter trilogy, sizzles with sinister science and supernatural intrigue.
12 year-old Callie has survived an epidemic and broken out of an institute where she was known only as Subject 369X. While she’s struggling to deal with her transformation into an unimaginably shocking state – the excruciating effect of her treatment - her beloved half-brother Kai is searching for her. Enter Shay. Sharp-minded Shay has a photographic memory and remembers seeing Callie get into a car. As Shay and Kai try to piece together the mystery, the epidemic worsens. Schools are closed, a major army-administered quarantine operation is put into place, and Kai and his doctor mother are among the few who seem immune to the disease’s deadly grip. And then Shay herself seems to survive it, but why? So many questions unravel and knot, knot and unravel, as this gripping story accelerates to a cliffhanger of a conclusion. When Shay works out what’s going on, she’s hit by her most devastating realisation yet, and readers will be left desperate for the trilogy’s second installment in order to find out where this new knowledge takes her. Revenge, romance, ravaging disease, and a tenacious girl’s colossal survival instinct, this novel injects a high dose of adrenalin into the genre. ~ Joanne Owen
The first book in the spine-tingling Dark Matter trilogy about the frightening effects of a biological experiment gone wrong.
An epidemic is sweeping the country. Almost everyone will be infected. Almost everyone will die. . .
Young teen Callie was one of the rare few to survive the disease after being subjected to the so-called treatment. She was kidnapped and experimented upon at a secret lab that works with antimatter. When she breaks free of her prison, she unleashes a wave of destruction--the contagion.
Meanwhile her older brother, Kai, is looking for her. And his smart new friend Shay may hold the key to uncovering what truly happened--Shay was the last to see Callie alive. The problem is getting past the soldiers at the quarantine zone boundaries.
But even when reunited the teens must find the source of disease. Could Callie have been part of an experiment in biological warfare? Who is behind the research? Is there a cure?
I loved this book. It was a wonderful mix of everything that I love within a book. Teri Terry, this sits on par with Slated YA Obsessed
I love Contagion. It has an interesting premise and the story is told with great action and a breathless pace. The central characters are well-drawn and relatable. It blends several genres -- conspiracy thriller, dystopian, sci-fi, even a bit of the supernatural -- to great effect. It has a wonderful, evocative setting and sense of landscape. I think Teri Terry has a real talent for writing exciting stories that are accessible and easy to read but also have a thought-provoking thematic depth. She makes you think The Bookbag
Author
About Teri Terry
Teri Terry is the author of the award-winning Slated trilogy, and the standalone novels Mind Games and Book of Lies. Her books have racked up 42 rights sales to date and have been translated into twelve languages. Teri has been shortlisted for a phenomenal 23 awards and has won 17 of them, nearly all voted for by teenage readers.
